Fabrication of Amyloid-Beta-Releasing Polymer Microbeads for Modeling Alzheimer's Disease

Source: Almari, B., et al. Fabrication of Amyloid-β-Secreting Alginate Microbeads for Use in Modelling Alzheimer's Disease. J. Vis. Exp. (2019). This video demonstrates a method for fabricating polymer microbeads that encapsulate neurotoxic amyloid-beta-secreting cells. The cell-polymer suspension is processed through a microbead fabrication device, with polymer gelation achieved via calcium cross-linking, forming spherical microbeads around the cells. The polymer allows cell proliferation while allowing controlled, long-term amyloid-beta release, simulating its accumulation in Alzheimer's disease.